Shutting the door after the horse has bolted

[pottypete1]

As many of you will be aware the question has often been asked on this forum whether an individual should shield because of being vulnerable due to AF.

As it is now over a year since the first lockdown in the UK you will be no doubt interested to hear that I received a legitamate email from the NHS today telling me that I was a very vulnerable person and that I should be taking extra precautions and to shield as much as possible. They also told me to be extra vigilant despite the improving UK statistics.

It was a very long email covering all aspects of good practice and to tell me that I will get my vaccination early ( bit late for that I had the first one (AZ) 2 months ago and the other is planned for 2 weeks time due to me being a Septuagenarian.)

As far as I am aware I have nothing else upon which they could hang this decision apart from apparently I discovered I had some dodgy blood tests 2 months ago resulting in my doctor phoning at the beginning of last week to discuss - he took his time , he is always very slow at doing anything. I had another set of tests and to my untrained eye all is now normal. Mind you still no subsequent phone call from the doctor so I must still be alive.

Luckily I have been a bit of a recluse since the beginning of the Pandemic. I rarely go to a shop or pharmacy and keep my distance when having a walk.

If I do ever hear from my doctor again I will ask the question and report to the forum anything of significance.

For now I shall carry on the way I did before. I must have done something right as my daughter, my son, their spouses and their families all getting Covid-19 my wife and I have managed to dodge the bullet (touch wood).

Pete

[Ianp66]

Glad to hear your dodging and keeping safe Pete. Much the same my gp appears to have a delayed response to tests etc, and speaking to others it's not a rare occurrence.My mother in law in her seventies didn't even get a shielding letter first lockdown, second time around she did, when challenged they said she had "slipped the net" the first time around! go figure.

Guess we all as usual all have to be our own closet Gp and consultant, and use common sense and question everything .

Stay safe and keep dodging 👌

[Desanthony]

I would ring the GP to get those blood test results. I have found many GP's tardy with getting results to you and sometimes they don't call at all. When I was diagnosed with AF I went to a new GP to our surgery and he went through all my history and found that 2 years previously I had had a blood test that showed me to be anaemic but had not been told this and had had no tests since. I was tested again and still found to be anaemic so othere tests and treatments were put into play. Always good to stay on top of these things.

I am happy to say that I too am a Septuagenarian and have had both vaccinations now - the last one I had just coming up to two weeks ago on Sunday. I will not consider it safe to go back to doing normal things until after my wife has had both jabs - she has had one just about a month ago and is waiting on the second one. My sister's family have all had Covid with two of the younger members - 23 and 25 years old being hospitalised. Also, some friends of ours had Covid throughout their family. I think some of this might have had a lot to do with some members of the family going out to work, young teenagers maybe mixing when they shoudln't and they all got Covid after the Christmas relaxing of the lockdown when grandchildren visited grandparents - even in our friend's case just for an hour. So glad to be Covid free and fully vaccinated. I am going to take a risk and visit my sister next week if the regulations allow as I have only seen her once in a year and it is coming up to the first anniversary of her husband's death. I think we will get a take away and sit in the garden at her new flat one lunch time next week. I hope the weather stays fine.

[pottypete1 in reply to Desanthony]

I will ring when I can. However, because I have patient access to my records at the hospital they sent me an email to tell me the results were available and I looked myself. 75% of them were red in early February only one now so my guess is I am still alive.

Pete

[Desanthony in reply to pottypete1]

Oh right. well done! Congratulations on being still alive then! I don't know if that is available here in Wales - I am going to ask because it would be good to be able to look your own results up. At my old surgery they used to give you the print out if you asked but not here since I have moved house. In fact they are very loathe to actually even right the results out for you - I take my own pen and paper so they don't have to use theirs LOL.

[Auriculaire in reply to Desanthony]

Here in France your blood test results and your xray are "yours". The blood test results can be collected in person from the lab or you can have them sent by post. The results always have a normal range printed beside them so you can see if they are abnormal. If you also go to the same lab they print your last result as well for that particular test so you can see if it changing a lot . A copy is emailed through to your doctor. And they arrive within a couple of days - no waiting weeks! Xrays come with a letter ( and are given to you before you leave ) , you keep them and take them to your next xray appointment . All this ensures that if you go to different doctors or radiology clinics you go with relevant info. I think this is a far better system but it does rely on the patient keeping things and turning up to appointments with them.

[Paulbounce]

Pleased all going well with you Pete.

For all of us (I'm sure many of you know) it's worth registering on the following site. You can access your medical records from childhood. Your surgery will forward 'log in' details and you can check your medical records. Takes a week or so but it's all there.

Paul

patientaccess.com/

[etheral in reply to Paulbounce]

Wow, one of the advantages of having a NHS. This would be impossible in the states..

[The_Lord_is_with_Us in reply to etheral]

Keep your records; I'll take medical care in the states.

[djmnet in reply to The_Lord_is_with_Us]

Ditto

[irene75359 in reply to Paulbounce]

I use that but you can only see what your practice chooses to share; I haven't seen my complete records, only recent appointments and prescriptions. Mind you, when I went into the surgery pre-covid and asked for my records they happily printed out the previous ten years that I had been with the practice and gave them to me.

[Desanthony in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks will do this.

[Silvasava]

Paulbounce - I have access to my records on Patient Access but the records are only those that my surgery deigns to put on there. I specifically asked about a report from my cardiologist and was told they only put certain information on there! Luckily my cardiologist uses a different platform and I'm notified of any new information on there as well as being backed up by letter. I certainly have no information going back further than about 2 years and then only things like blood test results., Asthma review and diabetes ( borderline due to medications)

[Paulbounce in reply to Silvasava]

Sure Silvasava and Irene. My records go back to when I was kid (long time ago I know). Everything is listed - modern day and stuff from the past. If you scroll down the site you should find the link - it should be there unless they have changed it now ?

Paul.

PS - just checked and can't find it now ? There's one from 1974 but the rest appear to have disappeared. Strange forces are at work !